State Sen. Beth Bye and her wife, Tracey Wilson, along with attorney Barry Hawkins, president of the Connecticut Bar Association, talk about the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act that denied federal benefits to same-sex couples.
Wilson, a West Hartford high school teacher, and Bye were the first same-sex couple to legally marry in Connecticut.
Wilson said that marriage equality had paved the way for greater public acceptance of gays and lesbians. Still, she said that allowing gay and lesbians the right to marry doesn’t mean “everyone’s equal now.”
“There are many people who still don’t think it’s right,” she said. The court’s ruling is “another step,” but “many people’s minds still have to change.”